[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H2029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PROTECTING SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON COMMUTERS

  (Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Mr. Speaker, since the first time I heard about 
Oregon's scheme to impose tolls on the I-205 and I-5 bridges at the 
State line with Washington without providing any benefit to my 
constituents, I have fought to protect southwest Washington commuters.
  This is nothing but a money grab by Oregon to improve its 
infrastructure projects that would rarely, if ever, be used by the vast 
majority of the folks paying the tolls, those from southwest 
Washington.
  This was certainly a creative and politically expedient funding 
source dreamed up by Oregon, but it is a raw deal for hardworking 
Washingtonians whose jobs happen to be located across the river. This 
does nothing to fix the I-5 bridge. In fact, it actually makes that 
task harder.
  That is why I secured an amendment in this Chamber to prohibit these 
tolls until Oregon goes back to the drawing board and comes up with a 
plan that doesn't use Washingtonians as a piggy bank. However, through 
the negotiations of the omnibus spending package, my amendment lacked 
support from the United States Senate. Without that support, my 
amendment to protect southwest Washington commuters did not move 
forward.
  It is a disappointment, but I am not going to give up on this issue. 
In fact, it is critical that Oregon come to a solution with Washington 
that benefits both sides of the river without unfairly targeting just 
one side. Until we get that result, Mr. Speaker, I am not done fighting 
on this issue.

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